In the US, the presidential elections have thrown conversations and accusations down the rabbit hole where actual issues get more personal than policy driven. It seems that in our politics today, honesty is clouded. Name calling then becomes the narrative.

In the workplace, sometimes actual issues are skirted around to avoid offending others. The worst thing that can occur is when real issues never get resolved. The elephant in the room gets larger and looms over not what is said, but what is inferred. It is important to dialog honestly without resorting to gutter-speak.

This lesson can be applied to my role. When coaching clients who have not been told or have not truly heard the critical issues holding them back, it is important to get to the heart of the subject. My job is to ask questions that help the client realize what it takes to be successful. For that to occur, they must be honest with themselves. That allows for graceful conversations.

Recently, when working with a client in refreshing her wardrobe, we realized that the jewelry that worked a few years ago needed to be replaced with more statement pieces for a couple of reasons. She was recently promoted to a senior vice president role and the office went to a more casual environment.

So now, for her, professional casual is more fitting. She also travels internationally. In upgrading necklaces and earrings choosing the right proportion of each is critical. Increasing the size of the stones by one half and wearing a more intense color will add the impact needed to create the elegant, smart, professional casual look.

Recently I have decided to give some of my beautiful suits away. I used to wear suits on a regular basis before slowly moving to business casual, really a more really professional casual.

When presenting to groups, I still wear a suit but it’s a much more relaxed version, containing no dark colors and in some cases, I like a mix and match (With the jacket as more of a companion color to the pants or slacks).

I’ve discovered that the most difficult part is giving away wonderful suits that have helped my business. I remember at an event, a colleague told me that I always look like a major company CEO. This proved to be very important when meeting with staff from Fortune 500 companies.

Now these suits must go to a worthy cause to women to help them in their work world. The guidelines below have helped me feel good about giving these friends away:

1. Keep one to three key suits to wear for presentations and pair them with all the companion pieces (shirts, ties, etc.).
2. Put the clothing in a plastic clear bag – marking the date. If you have not worn the clothes in one year, donate them.
3. Once you touch the item and bag it, do not touch it again.
4. Always try the item on before making any decisions. It is too romantic if you don’t. Old memories can cloud reality.

As a firm believer in taking deep breaths to calm myself, I know it can sound trite when you’re told to breathe in difficult situations. A recent article in the New York Times business section by Phyllis Korkki showcased an interview on Belisa Vranich, a clinical psychologist who re-teaches people to breathe. The correct way is to breathe horizontally and from the middle of the body. Expanding your belly while inhaling through your nose and squeeze your belly inward while exhaling. This will help you move through difficult situations and also open more space for creativity.

Hillary Clinton wore an elegant, tailored Ralph Lauren white pantsuit to accept the Democratic nomination for president at the recent convention. A white pants suit can be worn for different occasions. My favorite is for an evening business or social event. The key to making it work is the fabric and shades of white. A great way to know the difference in whites is by going to either a fabric store or look at white paint chips. This will help determine which white works best for you. Hillary’s white pants suit was close to a true white and the fabric projected a softness that balanced stark white coloring.

Recently, I was a victim of wedding dress party guest nightmare after going through ten dresses along with multiple pairs of evening shoes. However, the reality is that going to a wedding as a guest and not as a member of the wedding party, what to wear is not dictated by pictures, which is good. Also not having to wear a long dress makes it easy to pull something from my wardrobe.

These are the following tips I learned to help avoid having the wedding dress party guest nightmare:

• Many stores do not have all their dresses in stock…order on line.
• Dresses that look great on the hanger…chances are that they won’t look good on you.
• Be sensitive to your body shape…buy a dress that will enhance it.
• The dress must be comfortable…no matter how great it looks on.
• Long dresses are really long…be prepared to spend upwards of $75.00 for alterations.
• Be sure you have a pair of shoes to wear for alterations.

If you follow these six guidelines, I guarantee that shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding will not be a nightmare. It even might be fun.

There much to learn by watching the politicians on stage, from the way they speak to their clothing choices. In a recent New York Times article, the vice presidential nominee, Tim Kaine, was featured about his clothing choices. He was compared to President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
President Obama is a Hart Shaffner Marx customer (custom tailored to his physical size – tall and slender). Vice President Joe Biden was not wearing an off the rack suit either. The average man on the street rarely wears a suit today and if he does, it is not custom tailored. Tim Kaine wore a non-custom made suit along with a matching shirt and a not-current-style tie. His clothing sent the message: I am just like the average guy on the street and I am for you. The idea is to dress for the audience you want to connect with.

Expressing passion when speaking about your subject is an important way to connect to your audience. The key is to control the volume of your voice. It is easy to mistake yelling for passion. Practice by audio and videotaping your presentations. This helps determine when and where the voice needs to change to reflect the key moments in the speech. When a voice raises in sound, it projects a different feeling than yelling does. Use one to three fingers on your throat to gauge when your voice goes too high or low. You can raise or lower your voice to make a point and determine the most effective tone based on the audience size and speech content.

I am still amazed when customer service calls me back. Recently, I had two very different customer service experiences. One was a rep who directed me to the website to make changes to a service plan. Two days later, after no success with customer service and not being able to get into the website, I went to the retail store to speak to a representative. This person could not get into the site either but promised to call me back the next day.

No call.

I then called the store number where another customer service person helped change the plan. Four days of phone calls, no luck with website or even with the retail store.

My second example was a “wow”! I called first to get a customer service person. This person told me he would handle it and would call back with the correction needed. He called me back within ten minutes with the change and a confirmation number.

When running a business, customer service is critical to the survival of almost any business. It will set you apart from competitors but the key is to “wow” the customer!

In group presentations, the key is to provide what the audience needs. Sounds simple, but is it really? In a recent meeting with a client, we worked on major areas to master when giving a group presentation. One, the answer to the question being asked should be backed with common sense, stats if possible and some context or history around it.

Secondly, the answer must flow in the overall presentation, whether it is to present a situation or provide forecasts for the group or organization.

Lastly and most importantly, the presenter must truly believe in it. Using these three simple rules means a 90% chance for a successful experience.